Legislative Briefs: Government actions on obesity

Louisiana Legislature ends with passage of public health policies
Bills and resolutions focusing on nutrition, physical activity and other prevention-based strategies garnered political support in Louisiana this spring. The 2014 Regular Legislative Session, which ran from March to June, led to the passage of several pieces of legislation aimed at improving the health of Louisiana residents and building environments that promote healthy lifestyles. The following is a summary of some legislation, including the author, focused on these goals.

Act 580 (Heitmeier) creates the Louisiana Obesity Prevention and Management Commission, a statewide task force to coordinate obesity programs and policies and develop statewide plans for obesity prevention. The commission is slated to have its first meeting in August. SCR 21 (Heitmeier) creates a joint-legislative obesity prevention committee comprised of House and Senate members.

Act 681 (Heitmeier) requires the state to install 10 additional (total of 20) lactation rooms in state office buildings by July 2016. The lactation rooms must provide suitable accommodations for mothers to express breast milk.

School-Based Health and Safety:

Act 410 (Thompson) prohibits drivers from using cell phones in school zones during posted hours.

Act 450 (Nevers) establishes the Agricultural Education Commission to guide agriculture activities in public schools, as well as design and pilot an education immersion program to prepare students for future careers and leadership roles in the field of agriculture.

Act 581 (Heitmeier) prohibits smoking within 200 feet of public and private school property.

SCR 94 (Heitmeier) encourages the state's Department of Agriculture and Forestry and Department of Education to start a statewide farm-to-school program and study barriers to implementing such programs.

SCR 95 (Heitmeier) requests the Louisiana Department of Education to conduct a survey on the barriers that prevent schools and communities from implementing joint-use agreements, which allow for shared access to property outside of traditional school hours for physical activity opportunities.

HCR 114 (Williams) encourages the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to adopt a rule requiring schools to provide students with a lunch period of at least 20 minutes. This time should not include travel time to and from the cafeteria or the time it takes to wait in the school lunch line.

The Tulane PRC served as a resource for information to the Louisiana legislature during the 2014 legislative session by sharing research on ways to improve public health and the state's rankings in the United Health Foundation's America's Health Rankings. The PRC researched evidence-based strategies that have been shown to increase healthy behaviors, such as healthy eating, physical activity and tobacco cessation. Based on the PRC's findings, state Sen. David Heitmeier of New Orleans proposed ten pieces of legislation, including several mentioned above, in order to raise awareness of obesity and smoking in Louisiana and to promote health where Louisianians live, work, learn and play.

Programs aim to revitalize blighted lots, build healthy communities in New Orleans
Blighted, vacant and overgrown properties are in nearly every neighborhood in New Orleans. These problematic lots often generate crime, hurt neighborhood economic activity, and can prevent residents from participating in outdoor physical activity and accessing healthy food outlets. To chip away at the number of vacant lots, multiple programs and initiatives are currently underway.
The New Orleans City Council’s Community Development Committee voted in July to recommend the council establish a “Mow to Own” program for the city. The details have not been worked out yet, but the program would allow landowners to buy next-door tax-adjudicated properties if the land owner maintains the property for at least a year.
Additionally, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) has several programs aimed at revitalizing blighted properties by giving them a new purpose and helping neighborhoods become safer, healthier and economically stronger. First, NORA also has the Growing Green program, which was launched in May and aims "to engage in general greening and urban agriculture projects," according to its website. NORA is also hosting the Lots of Progress competition, in which it partnered with social-entrepreneurship group Propeller to host an idea pitch competition for 15 specific vacant lots.

Other Related Posts

Published: April 10, 2018

Anyone can be a health leader and improve their community, if given the right tools and skills. That’s what the Tulane Prevention Research Center's two-year NOLA LEADs (Leadership Education & Action on health Disparities) citizen-training project has found since completing its work.
Keeping with the project's goal of helping all who are concerned about improving the lives of their neighbors and the conditions of their communities, the team has put together a one-page summary to…

Published: April 08, 2018

When attempting to address Louisiana's consistently low rankings in national health reports, public health professionals can have a positive influence on the policy-making process through research and education, according to recently published work from the Tulane public health researchers.
From 2013 to 2014, a team of faculty and staff at the Tulane Nutrition Program and Tulane Prevention Research Center explored strategies for improving public health in Louisiana by conducting policy research and educating lawmakers. The…

Published: April 05, 2018

Recent Tulane University graduate Chyna Johnson spent five days in March in the footsteps of abolitionist Harriet Tubman this week as part of a 100-mile trek along the route of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by African-American slaves to escape to free states, ran north to the free states and Canada. (Click on the image above to see a slideshow from the trek.)
Johnson is…

Published: April 01, 2018

Spring is here and summer is right around the corner. We always think of spring as a time of new beginnings and renewal. Certainly, it can be that way with us as well. The weather is mild (not too hot yet) so it's a good time to think about being outdoors more. Spring is conducive to growth, so it's a good time to plant a garden, especially vegetables. What could be fresher than that? There…

Published: April 01, 2018

The Tulane Prevention Research Center (PRC) faculty, staff and students are scheduled to give 11 presentations at the Society of Behavioral Medicine's 39th Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans this week. The meeting draws thousands of researchers, public health professionals, community members, and advocates from across the country and the world.
Among the topics that will be presented by the Tulane PRC are community-based cooking classes, social marketing for health promotion, community engagement, photovoice, and…

Published: April 01, 2018

Transforming the built environment of a community can make a difference in how citizens feel about accessibility of physical fitness. Since the start of March, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine faculty and students have been engaging with local participants of The FitLot Method Program, an outdoor, group fitness program designed to meet the needs of adults 55 years and older. FitLot, a longtime community partner of the Tulane Prevention Research Center…

Published: April 01, 2018

See what our Community Advisory Board (CAB) members and partners have been up to recently! Click on the photo for a gallery of pictures, and read below for related updates. To find out more about our partners, click here to visit our Community Partners page.
Photos 1-5: Women With A Vision Inc.
Women with a Vision Inc. has been busy developing a garden with a spirit that transcends the physical space. As a part of…

Published: April 01, 2018

This newsletter's team spotlight features four graduating student research assistants who supported numerous Tulane Prevention Research Center (PRC) projects and programs over the past year. Through one-on-one training and mentorship, these master's students have worked diligently to apply the skills, knowledge, frameworks and strategies learned in classes to the community-based work of the PRC.
"These students have worked diligently on community projects, and we are very proud of them," said Tulane PRC Director Carolyn Johnson.…

Published: April 01, 2018

Please join the Tulane Prevention Research Center on Wednesday, April 11, for the Spring 2018 Innovations in Public Health Research and Practice Seminar:
"Prevention of Diabetes in India: What evidence is there for scale-up?"
Light refreshments will be provided. This seminar is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018, from 12-1:30 p.m. in the Diboll Auditorium, 1st Floor, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans
Featuring…

Published: April 01, 2018

Louisiana Obesity Commission publishes annual report
Since 2014, the Louisiana Obesity Prevention and Management Commission has been tasked by state lawmakers to address obesity statewide and its associated diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The commission recently presented its annual report to the state Legislature. The report, published in February 2018, includes recommendations for future Commission activities and highlights the Commission’s activities during the timeframe of April 2017-November 2017. Click here to…

The Tulane Prevention Research Center is a member of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Centers Program, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under cooperative agreement #U48DP005050.